


Young Justice: Cavalry

by CrypticCase



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-16
Updated: 2016-02-12
Packaged: 2018-02-12 23:28:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2128452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrypticCase/pseuds/CrypticCase
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On March 23rd at 10 pm, Mount Justice fell. Three members of the team were taken. All seemed lost. But, just as a phoenix is reborn from the ashes, new heroes will rise up to fight. Some are old friends and some come from odd places. As long as the world still believes in heroes, they will fight. The cavalry is coming.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rise from the Ashes

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I'm CrypticCase and I love writing. I have been in a slump lately and decided to re-edit one of my old fanfics and post it on here. It's originally on ff.net if you want the full story but it's not complete yet. I'm going to be releasing edited chapters on here and on my tumblr until I'm caught up with the main story, then I'm going to update on all platforms. 
> 
> Please note: This fic is a canon divergence and takes place immediately following "Darkest" in Young Justice: Invasion. Any events/plot points after "Darkest" were either re-worked or changed completely. I will also be adding characters to the character tag as the story progresses. For the sake of my own sanity too, I've decided to called Arsenal "Harper" and Red Arrow "Roy" in this fic. It just makes it easier to write rather than using "Clone Roy" or "Original Roy" especially if they're in a scene together.
> 
> This will be the first installment of what I hope to be a Young Justice series of my own writing, which is why there are events in this fic that may seem unfamiliar. When I will get to telling these other stories is a completely different matter. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!

The young woman sighed and shook her head as she sat in her car. She'd asked herself multiple times during this trip _why_ she'd decided to come back to the East Coast in the first place. Then again, it wasn't like she's gone back to _Gotham_ of all places. Happy Harbor seemed to be much more mellow than that hell hole she'd escaped from years ago.

The girl tugged her long blonde hair back into a ponytail and got out of her car. She figured it was no use sitting around and moping, might as well see what this town had to offer. Just as she pulled out her keys to lock the car, a load explosion shook the ground. She spun around and was shocked to see smoke and fire coming from the beach area.

"Well, that's something you don't see everyday." she muttered.

Suddenly, a static noise coming from her bag was heard. She raised a brow and searched for the source, thinking it was her phone. She felt her blood run cold and her heart dropped when her hand closed around a small communicator that hadn't been touched in year. She could only make out a few words.

"Duncan...Mount Justice...gone...a big explosion...request immediate assistance!"

The words shocked her so much that she almost dropped the communicator. A thought finally came to her. She spun around to face the pillar of fire behind her. That had to be the explosion. The _Mount Justice_ explosion. She could only assume the guy sending the backup request was nearby.

The girl looked around her and saw a dark motorbike speeding towards the explosion sight. That _must’ve_ been him. She swore under her breath and quickly got into her car. She started the car and took off.

"You said you were gonna leave this crap behind you." she scolded herself.

She caught a glimpse of her own tired blue eyes in the rear view mirror and smirked slightly. "Let's go be a hero."

 

_~~~"No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks. -Molly Wollstonecraft~~~_

 

"Conner!" Mal yelled. "Superboy, wake up!"

He splashed water in Conner's face and gave a slight breath of relief when he woke up. Conner looked around in confusion.

"Questions later, man! Grab Wolf, the S-Cycle's sinking!" Mal said.

"Ah, right!" Conner said. He grabbed Wolf and slipped into the water. Sphere folded in on herself and dove underwater.

"Will Sphere be alright?" Mal asked as Conner swam towards him.

"Uh, yeah, I think so. She folds up to heal." Conner looked at Mal. "Can you make it to shore with Nightwing?"

"Yeah, I got him." Mal assured. He tightened his grip on the younger male and began to swim to shore.

When they were almost to shore, Mal looked over at Conner.

"What happened here, man?" Mal panted.

Conner didn't answer right away. Finally, he looked up with anger in his eyes.

"Kaldur. He came to the cave and brought a bomb. We thought it was a bluff. If we had known..."

Mal felt his heart drop into his stomach. "What about Beast Boy?"

Conner gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. "Kaldur took him. He took Gar, he took Impulse, _and_ he took Blue."

Mal almost stopped swimming. No, they couldn't be gone. His teammates, his _friends_ , could _not_ have been taken by that...that _traitor_.

"We _will_ get them back," Mal growled, finally feeling the shallows beneath his feet. "and Aqualad _will_ pay."

Conner nodded silently. As they reached the shore, they looked at the flaming debris. It was shocking, the place that had become their home was just _gone_.

"What do we do now?" Conner whispered, holding Wolf in his arms.

Mal closed his eyes for a brief moment. Once he'd regained composer, he looked at Conner.

"First thing's first, we need to get Nightwing and Wolf somewhere safe."

Conner nodded in agreement. The sudden honking of a car horn made both of the men jump. A black Navigator pulled up to the wreckage.

"Do you know who that is?" Conner asked.

"No idea." Mal murmured. He hoisted Nightwing over his shoulder and began to make his way to the car. As they got closer, a young woman got out and rushed over. Her blonde hair was pulled back and she looked around in shock.

"Hey!" she called. "I'm here to help!"

"We appreciate it," Conner said as he walked closer. "But civilians shouldn't be here, miss."

The girl nodded and reached into her pocket. To Conner's surprise, she pulled out an old communicator and held it up.

"I'm...an acquaintance of R-Nightwing's," she said breathlessly. "I heard the distress call and came to offer help."

She walked to the back of the Navigator and opened the rear door.

"I have a place you guys can stay. You guys should be safe there." she said.

Mal looked at Conner.

"Should we trust her?"

Conner stared at the girl for a moment. Something about her was familiar. He couldn't quite explain it, but he felt like he'd seen her before.

"I don't know," Conner said. "but, I doubt we have much more to lose."

Mal nodded wordlessly and put Nightwing in the backseat. He moved out of the way so Conner could load Wolf into the back. The girl closed the door and looked at them.

"You guys gonna come with me or just follow me?" she asked.

"I'll go with you." Conner said. The girl nodded and looked at Mal.

"How about you?"

"I'll follow. But, I have to go get my girlfriend first." he sent a look to Conner. "She's probably freaking."

The girl paused for a moment and opened the passenger door. She dug through the glove compartment for a moment before pulling out a pen and paper. After a moment, she handed the paper to Mal.

"Here's the destination. We'll see you there soon." she nodded to Conner and walked to to drivers side.

Conner watch Mal drive off. Before he got into the car, he looked at the smoldering remains of Mount Justice. He swallowed thickly and closed his eyes.

The blonde poked her head out of the car and looked at him.

"Hey," she said quietly. "you gonna be alright?"

"It..." Conner hesitated. "it was my home."

The girl nodded silently and gave him a sympathetic look.

"Take your time." she said.

A few minutes passed before Conner finally climbed into the passenger's seat. He heard Wolf whimper slightly behind him and reached back to stroke his head. As the car pulled away, Conner watched his former home disappear in the mirror.

 

_~~~"Hard times don't create heroes. It is during the hard times when the "hero" within us is revealed." -Bob Riley~~~_

"Idiots." Arsenal snorted, cracking the knuckles on his hand as he walked away from the group of unconscious goons. They'd made a huge mistake trying to mug him.

He tugged the hood of his sweater over his head and walked into the streets of San Francisco. The whole solo hero thing hadn't exactly been going too well the last few days. Neither did attempting to live on his own. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was still physically and mentally a sixteen year old kid. But, he had been able to find an abandoned apartment to squat in for the time being. Not to mention he had a new arm.

The more Arsenal thought about his arm, he couldn't help but wince at the odd pain he felt. He knew there was no way the cybernetic arm was actually causing him pain, but he felt like it was real. He'd vaguely remembered a nurse at the hospital telling him something about "phantom pain", but he hadn’t been completely listening when she was explaining it to him.

As he was pondering this, he failed to noticed the loud footsteps coming toward him until it was too late. He felt a body smack straight into him, knocking him backwards. He regained his balance and glared at the other person.

"Watch where you're going!" he snapped.

"Sorry!" a feminine voice said quickly before dashing off.

Arsenal did a double take as the person passed him. It was a girl probably his age ( _"Or technically eight years younger than me."_ he thought bitterly.) with matted blonde hair and an oversized coat. He wasn't going to think twice about it until a burly man shoved past him.

"Get back here you little hussy!" he growled as he ran down the street, no doubt after the girl.

That was all Arsenal needed to hear before he turned on his heels and sprinted after the man. He didn't know what the girl had done but he had a sinking feeling she was in trouble. As he rounded the corner, he doubled back and walked into the near by alleyway. Sure enough, there was the man gripping the girl's hair in his meaty fist and tugging her head up roughly.

"Now, sweetheart, you are making this much harder than it needs to be," the man said calmly. "if you just come back with me quietly, there won't be any problems."

The girl thrashed and clawed at his hand before finally giving up and deciding to punch him in the crotch. The man wheezed in pain but didn't relinquish his grip. Arsenal had to give the girl credit for trying. The man tugged the girl up roughly.

"I have done _everything_ for you!" he screamed. "And you repay me by _robbing_ me?! You are nothing but an ungrateful little whore!"

"Hey!" Arsenal snapped. He walked further into the alley and glared at the man. "Let. Her. Go."

The girl looked over at him in shock. It was clear people rarely tried to help her in these situations. The man looked Arsenal up and down and snorted.

"Or else what, _kid_?" he snarled.

Arsenal pulled back his sleeve and revealed his cybernetic arm. He held it steady and glared. "Let her go, or I'm gonna blow your head off."

The man hesitated for a moment before chuckling. "I'd like to see you try."

Arsenal saw the palm of the hand open to reveal a cannon shaped barrel. He stumbled backwards a bit as it went off, causing the trash bin behind the two strangers to explode.

The man stood in pure shock before looking back at Arsenal.

"Let. Her. Go." Arsenal hissed.

The man released her immediately. The girl scrambled to her feet and grabbed a lid off a trashcan. Before the man could react, she'd hit him across the temple with it, knocking him unconscious. Arsenal raised a brow and looked at her. She looked back and shrug.

"I needed a head start." she said quietly. Arsenal glimpsed down at her hands and saw they were shaking violently. He lowered his arm and nodded to her.

"You should get out of here before he wakes up." he said.

She nodded quickly, gave him a small nod of thanks, and shakily walked out of the alley. Arsenal watched her look around before uncertainly heading right. He was about to brush it off and be on his way until his conscience got the better of him. He sighed and headed out of the alley, jogging to catch up with her.

"Hey," he called, catching her attention. "are you in trouble?"

The girl shuffled slightly, and shook her head.

"No, why would you think that?"

"Because you're still holding the trash can lid." he pointed out.

She looked down and quickly dropped the lid with a clank. She rubbed the back of her head.

"Maybe...yeah. Yeah, I'm in a ton of trouble." she admitted.

Arsenal nodded and motioned for her to follow him. He couldn't explain why exactly he felt the need to help this girl. He just knew his gut was urging him to.

"Come on, I'll help you out. I've got a place you can stay for now."

She gave him a disbelieving look. Finally she started following him. They walked in pure silence for a long while.

"Thank you." she whispered.

Arsenal glanced at her and nodded. "It's no problem."

"I'm Mia," she said softly. "Mia Dearden. What's your name?"

"Call me..." he hesitated for a moment. "Call me Harper."

"Thank you, Harper." Mia said with a smile.

_~~~"If you have not been a villain at a certain point in time, you will never be a hero. And the day you are a hero, you may become a villain the next day." -Carlos Ghosn~~~_

"So, where are we exactly?" Conner asked as they pulled up to a warehouse. They'd been driving for almost an hour and were somewhere on the outskirts of Happy Harbor. He looked behind him and saw, much to his dismay, that Nightwing was still out cold.

"It's a safe house of sorts." the girl said, climbing out of the car. She walked to the front of the warehouse and punched in a combination on the number-pad. The metal door groaned open. Once she'd returned to the car, she pulled it into the warehouse.

"Doesn't exactly look like a safe house to me." Conner snorted.

The girl parked the Navigator and rolled her eyes. "That's kinda the point, it throws people off."

She got out of the car and looked around briefly. She clicked her tongue and began feeling around the metal containers.

"We used it a couple years ago. It was kinda a safe haven for us."

"'We'?" Conner asked, grabbing Nightwing out of the back.

The blonde froze slightly.

"My friends and I." she answered shortly. Just as Conner was going speak, she let out a cry of victory. Tugging off her glove, the girl pushed her hand on a nearby container.

A loud grinding noise came from behind Conner. He turned and saw the floor open up to reveal a staircase leading underground. The girl began to walk down them, beckoning Conner to follow.

"Hope you have a cellphone or something, we'll need to grant the big guy and his girlfriend access so they can get in."

"Er, yeah, I can contact him." Conner said.

"Good," the girl said before closing the warehouse door. "we need all the safety we can get."

As they continued down the staircase, they came upon a door. The blonde motioned for Conner and Wolf to stay back as she blew the dust off the dust from a scanning device by the door.

"Override security code HFQ-0118." she said. A high pitched beep went off and the door slid open.

As Conner and Wolf followed her in, he looked around in shock. It was like an underground version of the cave, only on a much smaller scale.

"Just put him on the couch for now," the girl said, walking to the giant computer nearby. "I need to rearrange some security features of this place. I would say help yourself to the fridge, but the last time I was here was about three years ago. So, I can't guarantee there's anything edible in here."

Conner set Nightwing down and looked around. How could this place exist without the League knowing; and who was this random girl who'd shown up out of nowhere? He turned to the girl and stared at her.

"I'm gonna need to call him to help me rewrite this thing completely." he heard her mumbled under her breath.

"Call _who_?" Conner asked. "And who _are_ you?! Where did this place come from?!"

The girl sighed and turned around.

"I need to call a friend later to help me with the security rewrite and I already told you I'm an acquaintance of Nightwing's." she braced herself on the control panel and looked around.

"As for this place, they made it a few years back to hide from you guys. It was supposed to be our base, but the team broke apart before it even fully formed. Still, we used it sometimes afterwards to just hang out."

" _Who_ is _'we_ '?" Conner asked through gritted teeth.

The girl ducked her head and pushed back her bangs. She took a deep breath and looked up.

"The Light," she said finally. "they were trying to make a junior team a couple years back to combat your team. Like I said though, it crumbled before it even really began."

The realization came crashing down on Conner like a ton of bricks. He now _knew_ why the girl in front of him looked so familiar. Why he'd seemed to recognize her when she approached them at Mount Justice. Conner took a step back.

"I know you." he whispered. "You...you're..."

"Retired." she said. "I don't work for the Light anymore. I realized how bad they were and got out when I had the chance. Please trust me when I say I do want to help you."

Conner said nothing. The girl stepped forward and stuck her hand out.

"So, allow me to introduce myself," she said. "My name is Harley Quinn. I'm here to help."


	2. Aftershock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> Sorry for the major delay! I got busy with school and getting hired for a new job! Hopefully updates will be more frequent!   
> I don't really have any notes for this chapter. The only thing I can think of (and I think it's mentioned in this chapter) is that Harley Quinn is not an adult (technically) in this fic. I moved her age down so she's the same age as Nightwing. I can't remember if it's explicitly said or not. Also, there will be two new characters in this who are also not from the Young Justice canon and I'll add them to the character line-up after this chapter is published. Hope you guys enjoy! 
> 
> ~C.C

The rest of the trip had been pretty uneventful, save for the fact Mia was constantly looking over her shoulder in worry. Harper had finally gotten tired of it and insisted she walk in front of him so she wouldn't have to worry. It was painfully apparent that Mia wasn't used to people trying to help her. Harper didn't let her know he was keeping a sharp eye out for the man that was after her, the last thing he needed was for her to freak out.

They'd finally reached the run down apartment complex a mere thirty minutes later. Harper guided her up the steps of the fire escape and helped her through the window of the apartment. He let go of her arm quickly when he notice her flinch. Walking to the corner of the room, Harper struck a match and lit a few candles.

"It's not much," he said. "but you can stay here for now."

Mia nodded and sat on the dingy mattress in the corner. "I'll be gone tomorrow morning. I don't want to bother you."

Harper looked over to her and gave her a look of sympathy. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"So, why exactly was that guy after you?"

Mia jumped slightly and wrapped her arms around herself.

"He wasn't exactly _lying_ when he said I stole from him," she hesitated. "all the money I earn goes to him."

Harper raised a brow. "Why? Is he your boss or something?"

"He's," Mia took a deep breath. "he _was_ my pimp."

Harper froze in shock. For the first time, he'd really taken in her appearance. He hadn't noticed the heeled shoes, short skirt, or tube top under the large coat before. She looked extremely skinny too, he couldn't imagine the last time she ate. Not to mention she was probably freezing at the moment.

Harper paused for a moment before heading to the duffle bag in the corner. He pulled out a pair of sweatpants and handed them to her.

"Here," he said. "They, uh, might be a little big on you."

Mia looked at him in surprise for a moment before taking them. "Thanks."

Harper nodded and turned away to give her privacy.

"You know, not many people would willingly give a hooker a pair of their sweatpants," Mia laughed. "Then again, many people wouldn't help a hooker period. You can turn around."

Harper gave a slight shrug before turning. "I'm not like many people."

"I can tell." Mia said before standing up.

Harper watched her wander around the loft awkwardly. What was one supposed to say when having a casual conversation with a hooker? He winced, realizing how mean that sounded in his head.

"So," Mia spoke up, catching Harper's attention. "What brings you to the wonderful city of San Francisco?"

Harper hesitated before giving a large sigh. "It's...a complicated story."

Mia let out a laugh and grinned at him.

"Dude, my whole life is a complicated story, I think I'll be able to follow."

_"You have no idea."_ Harper thought with a slight smile.

He took a seat on the mattress and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Basically, I found out something huge from someone I trusted. I didn’t want to be around them after it happened and bailed as soon as I could. Then I wound up here."

Mia nodded slightly.

"What about you?" Harper asked.

"I got into a fight with my jerk of a father, ran away from home, and next thing I know I'm working the streets of San Francisco." Mia said shortly, wandering into the kitchen area.

Harper was about to ask how _that_ happened but decided she'd tell him if she wanted to. He watched as Mia opened the refrigerator curiously. She let out a sudden shriek. Harper jumped to his feet as Mia sprinted over and hid behind him.

"There's a raccoon in the fridge!" she said, pointing at the kitchen.

"There are raccoons in San Francisco?" Harper muttered raising a brow.

He walked over to the kitchen cautiously. Sure enough, a large raccoon with a weird, mechanical collar around its neck leapt out and launched itself at Harper.

Harper swore, barely diving out of the way in time. He could literally see the muscles bulging out of its skin. He readied his arm and shot multiple blasts at it. The raccoon dodged every blast and knocked him over. Harper blocked his face with his mechanical arm and attempted to kick the thing off of him.

Mia looked around the room frantically for something to hit it with. She finally spotted a bow and a few arrows nearby. She quickly grabbed them, strung the bow, and prayed she remembered how to use them. The first two arrows missed completely. She strung the third arrow and took a deep breath, concentrating.

Harper finally kicked the thing off and scrambled back. He raised his arm and readied it. The raccoon growled and leapt towards him. Before it could attack, a whistling noise filled the air and the collar around the raccoon suddenly sparked. The raccoon trashed and shrieked in pain, snapping the arrow shaft as it did so. Harper saw the rest of the arrow sticking out of the collar as the raccoon staggered to the window and leaped onto the fire escape. Harper walked to the window in time to see the creature fall into the alleyway.

He turned around and saw a shaking Mia with his bow in her hand.

"Nice shot!" he said.

"I learned in P.E when I was twelve." she said, rubbing her arm.

Harper stepped forward and noticed the large bruise forming on her forearm where the bow string probably hit.

"Though, I do suggest an arm guard next time."

Mia looked at him and let out a laugh of disbelief. She walked to the window and peered out.

"Have you ever seen a raccoon that big? And what's with the weird collar?" she asked.

Harper frowned. He closed the cracked window and shook his head.

"No clue." he looked over at her. "You'd probably know more about the vermin in the city than I do."

"Oh, I know about the vermin alright." she gave him a slight smirk. "I know where the majority of them live. And their jobs."

Harper chuckled. He walked to the corner and sat down.

"You should rest." he said.

Mia looked at him in surprise. "You don't want the mattress?"

Harper shook his head. "You need it more than I do."

Mia started to walk to the mattress when something caught her eye. She smiled and walked over to the bow and arrows.

"Neat hat." she said, picking up Harper's old Speedy hat. She put it on her head and put her hands on her hips, posing for Harper.

"You can have it if you want." Harper said, rolling his eyes. He honestly had no idea what the appeal of that hat was to her.

Mia grinned and walked to the mattress. She took off the hat and lay down.

"You know, you're a decent guy, Harper." she said as she played with the red feather on the hat.

Harper tilted his head down and pulled his hood over his eyes, hiding the small smile on his face. "Try to get some sleep, Mia."

 

_~~~"Learning to trust is one of life's most difficult tasks." -Isaac Watts~~~_

 

"I'll tell her to open the door." Conner said, hanging up the phone.

"Was that the big guy?" Harley asked, opening the control system on the computer screen.

"Yeah, he and his girlfriend are here." Conner said slowly.

He watched as Harley pushed a button to allow the warehouse door to open. He still couldn't believe _Harley Quinn_ of all people was helping them. He couldn't imagine how the league, let alone _Nightwing_ , would react to it. Then again, Nightwing must have trusted her enough to give her a communicator.

Harley got up and walked to the door. She smiled slightly and moved out of the way to let Karen and Mal in.

"Welcome to the base. You guys alright?"

"We've been better." Mal sighed. "Thanks again for helping us."

"I can't believe it's just...gone." Karen said, shaking her head. Mal put a comforting arm around her.

Harley stuck out her hand. "I'm Harley Quinn by the way. You guys should be safe here."

"Wait, Harley Quinn?!" Karen asked in shock.

"Are you the Joker's girl?" Mal asked, eyeing her slightly.

Harley frowned and lowered her hand. "Technically speaking, I'm his _daughter_. Other than that, no. I’m no longer associated with him."

Mal looked over at Conner, raising a brow. Conner looked at Harley and shrugged.

"Her heartbeat's normal. She's either telling the truth or she's an incredible liar."

Harley rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in surrender. "Fine, believe what you want, but I wouldn't benefit whatsoever if the Light got ahold of you."

She started to walk away when Karen reached out and touched her shoulder. Harley turned and looked at her. Karen held out her hand.

"I'm Karen. Thank you for helping us, Harley."

Harley gave her a small smile and shook her hand. She looked over at Nightwing and frowned.

"Guy's been out since we got here an hour ago." she murmured. Harley made her way back to the computer. "By the way, how many of you might be coming here? There's a lot of rooms further into the base, but I'll need to call a friend to help me get the security system hacked safely."

"Uh, there could be as many as ten if anything." Conner said.

"Even more than that when we get the others back." Mal added.

"Okay, then I _definitely_ need to phone a friend." Harley said, pulling out her cellphone. "You guys should call your friends and tell them to come here."

"You're _sure_ this place is safe? The Light won't be able to get here?" Conner asked.

"I did a basic override that needs manual access unless you have a code. My friend and I messed with the system a few years back so only a handful of people could get in. I blacklisted members of the Light so they can't get access and won't be alerted when this place is active." Harley explained.

Nightwing suddenly gave a groan and stirred. Harley jumped and made her way to the door.

"And on that note, I'm going to make a call. Don't let bird boy know I'm the one who brought you here, just say someone else did."

"Why not?" Karen asked.

Harley hesitated at the door.

"The last time I saw him, we didn't exactly leave on the best of terms." she thumbed through her contacts page and raised the phone to her ear. "I'll be back in a bit."

With that, she was up the stairs and gone.

 

_~~~"Trust your instinct to the end, though you can render no reason." -Ralph Waldo Emerson~~~_

 

"Authorities are not yet sure of what caused the explosion," a news reporter said, motioning to the pillar of fire behind her. "but they have informed us that nobody has been reported injured or missing."

The young man leaned forward with his hands folded in front of his mouth. He couldn't believe this was happening. It was killing him not to know what was going on exactly.

He could hear the faint sound of his boyfriend frantically trying to contact his friends with no such luck. He'd bolted out of the room as soon as the headline **"Explosion in Happy Harbor"** came onto the TV. He wasn't sure what they could exactly do from New Mexico and he knew his boyfriend would bolt out the door if he couldn't contact anyone soon.

The redhead jumped slightly when his phone went off. He picked it up and saw it was an unknown caller.

"Hello?" he answered slowly.

"Rathaway, do you remember how to get to the base?" a female voice asked.

He paused for a moment before realizing who he was talking to. " _Harley_?! What are you...I haven't heard from you in years!"

"I know, Hartley." Harley sighed. "I'm sorry I haven't contacted you, but I _really_ need your help."

Hartley sighed and rubbed his face. "What's going on? You in some kind of trouble?"

"No, I'm fine for now. Do you remember how to get to the base we used to hang out at?"

"The one in the warehouse?" Hartley asked. "Yeah, of course I do. What about it?"

"Good. Now, did you hear about the explosion in Happy Harbor?"

This caught Hartley's attention. "Yeah, it's all over the news, even over here."

"It was an attack on Mount Justice," Harley explained. "I went there to help them out. I currently have a few members of the League here to keep them safe."

Hartley stood up and walked to the bedroom. He knocked on the door.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked. His boyfriend poked his head out and Hartley motioned for him to come out.

"I need you to help me rewrite the security codes so the Light can't get in."

"And you're _sure_ nobody from Mount Justice got hurt?" Hartley confirmed. He saw his boyfriend's eyes go wide before he rushed to get a suitcase.

"Nightwing got knocked out, but he seems to be coming to." Harley sighed. "I really need your help right now, Hart."

"We'll be there as soon as we can. Just hang tight." Hartley said. He gave a quick goodbye before hanging up.

He saw his boyfriend frantically trying to put their entire bedroom into the small suitcase. Under normal circumstances it'd be funny, but in this case it was almost heartbreaking.

"Miguel," he said, trying to get his attention. "Miguel... _Bunker_!"

Miguel's head snapped up and he stopped what he was doing. Hartley moved to the other side of the bed and hugged him.

"They're alright," he said. "Nobody got hurt. Everyone's okay."

Miguel shook slightly as he hugged Hartley back. "I'm worried about them. I mean, Artemis died less than a week ago and now _this_?"

"I know," Hartley said. He pulled back and cupped Miguel's face. "That's why we're going to Happy Harbor now to help out. Harley's got them somewhere safe. So just breathe."

Miguel smiled slightly before leaning forward to kiss Hartley. Hartley smiled into the kiss before pulling away.

"Also, you _might_ wanna take the cat out of the suitcase before she gets trapped in there."

Miguel jumped and pulled the cat out before sitting her on the ground.

"We can come back for clothes later," Miguel said. "Let's just get to Happy Harbor."

Hartley nodded. The two men grabbed their coats and walked out the door.

 

_~~~"If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees." -Khalil Gibran~~~_

 

Nightwing opened his eyes slowly, wincing at the harsh light and pounding headache. He sat up and glanced around the room. He had no idea where he was or how he got there. He groaned and rubbed his head slowly.

"Good, you're awake." a voice said. Nightwing looked up and saw Karen standing in front of him with some water and a bottle of aspirin.

"Karen? Where are we?" he asked.

Karen looked hesitant to answer. "A friend of yours came to help us. We're staying here for a while."

Nightwing suddenly remembered getting caught in the debris field after the explosion. It was such a rookie mistake and was definitely _not_ part of the plan he and Kaldur had agreed on.

"Is Conner alright?" he asked.

"Conner and Mal went to contact the others and get supplies," Karen explained. "Wolf's alright too."

"And...the kids?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Karen gave him a pained look. "Aqualad kidnapped them. Gar, Jaime, Bart. He took them all."

Nightwing clenched his jaw and looked down. That hadn't been part of the original plan either. Too many things had gone wrong this time around. He could only hope Kaldur was able to keep them safe. He silently made sure the flash-drive Kaldur had slipped him was still on him. He let out a small breath of relief when he felt it.

He felt Karen touch his shoulder.

"It's not your fault. You tried everything you could to save them." she said firmly.

Nightwing nodded. But, he knew she didn't understand. He needed to talk to someone who did. He needed to get in contact with Wally.

"I need to get to the Hall of Justice." Nightwing said, wobbling slightly as he stood. "I need to let the League know what happened."

"Are you sure you'll be alright to get there?" Karen asked in concern.

"I'll be fine. I just need to get to a zeta tube."

Karen looked like she didn't fully believe him. She sighed.

"Mal and I found one in the area." she said, pointing at the door. "Just exit the warehouse, go to the left and keep going until you spot the telephone booth. It shouldn't be more than a ten to fifteen minute walk from here."

"Thanks, Karen." he said.

As he made his way to the door, he couldn't help but wonder who brought them here. He _knew_ Kaldur hadn't arranged a rescue crew to be sent there. As he neared the exit, he saw a girl with blonde hair walk in. At first glance, he mistook her for Cassie. When he saw her face, however, he felt his blood run cold and stopped in his tracks.

"Harley." he whispered in disbelief.

Harley looked up at him and froze in shock. They stared at each other for a long moment. Anger bubbled up in Nightwing's chest. He had _no_ idea what she was doing here, but he wasn't happy about it. Harley frowned and moved out of his way. He moved past her without a second thought.

"Long time no see, Dick." Harley said quietly enough so only Nightwing would hear.

Nightwing almost stopped again when he heard his name. He sent her a small glare before wordlessly exiting the room.

Harley glared as he left. When she turned back, she saw Karen sitting there with an eyebrow raised.

"What was _that_ about?"

"He's was Batman's sidekick, I was the Joker's sidekick," Harley shrugged. "we don't have the best of blood between us."

“But, Conner said Nightwing gave you a communicator.” Karen said.

Harley hesitated. “It’s...complicated.”

Karen narrowed her eyes at Harley but dropped the issue. It was clear the younger girl didn’t want to talk about it. Whatever _it_ was.

Meanwhile, Nightwing stood leaning against the side of the warehouse. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He needed to calm down.

Checking to make sure nobody was around, he opened accessed the computer on his wrist. He went deep into the files until he came across what he was looking for.

He stared at the picture in front of him. It'd been taken years ago. His younger self was grinning at the camera, eyes hidden by sunglasses and arm stretched in front of him, holding the camera steady. Standing next to him was a girl his age with an equally large grin with bright blue eyes. He hair was hidden by a dark pink beanie and she was giving the peace symbol to the camera. The caption of the picture read: **" Rob and Harlz, summer 2013"**. It almost made him sad to see them so happy.

With a snarl, Nightwing reburied the file and shut the computer off. No, there was absolutely no way he was going to feel remorse for this. There may have been a time when he and Harley could call each other "friends". That time was long gone and would never return.

Nightwing shoved off the wall and made his way down the rows of warehouses. He _had_ to get to the Hall of Justice as soon as possible.

 

_~~~"Do not tell secrets to those whose faith and silence you have not already tested." -Elizabeth I~~~_

 

Harper woke up slowly. He had no clue how long he'd been asleep, but it couldn't have been more than a few hours. He wasn't even sure what had woken him up. Harper started to stretch before realizing the window had been reopened. He closed his eyes, refusing to look at the mattress in front of him. He didn't want to acknowledge the fact Mia could be gone. Harper wasn't sure why that would upset him if she was, but for some reason it did.

He took a deep breath and looked in front of him. Much to his surprise, Mia was still curled up on the mattress, asleep. He almost cracked a smile when he noticed she was shaking like crazy. He got up to check on her and was shocked to see she was covered in sweat. Harper gently put a hand on her shoulder and flinched. He could _feel_ heat radiating off of her.

"Mia," he said, shaking her slightly. "Mia, wake up. You're burning up."

"I'm fine," Mia muttered. "Just a cold."

She was suddenly shaken by a very dry coughing fit. Harper shook his head. He needed to get her to a doctor.

"We need to go to a hospital." he said firmly.

"No hospital," Mia begged. "I'm fine, really."

Harper was conflicted. He had this clearly ill girl in front of him he hadn't known for even twelve hours, and yet he felt oddly protective over her. He knew she needed medical attention, but she was clearly adamant about going to the hospital.

Harper sighed in defeat. He _knew_ where he could take her, he just didn't want to admit it. As another coughing fit ripped through Mia's body, Harper made up his mind.

He stood up and packed away his bow and the few arrows he had left into his duffle bag. Harper slung it over his shoulder before walking back to the mattress. He slowly picked her up. Mia flinched.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," Harper said softly. "I'm gonna take you somewhere safe."

He was about to walk out when he had a thought. He walked back to the mattress and picked up the Speedy hat, handing it to Mia.

"Here, hold onto your hat."

Mia closed her hand around the hat and shuddered. Harper knew they had to go, _now_. As he made his way out of the loft and through the apartment complex, he became painfully aware of how light Mia was. Mia looked up at him blearily as they exited the building.

"Where are we going?" she asked weakly.

"We're going to Star City." Harper answered.

"Star City?" she mumbled. "That's three hours away from here."

"Don't worry, we'll get there in no time." Harper assured her.

He walked down the streets of San Francisco, desperately trying to remember where the nearest zeta tube was. He needed to get her to Ollie. As much as Harper hated to admit it, Ollie and Dinah would be able to help. Even after everything that happened, he knew deep down he could still count on them. He just hoped he could get to them in time.


	3. Bared Defenses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO EVERYONE! 
> 
> I am in fact alive! I am so sorry I haven't been updating lately. This semester of college has been super hectic and I just haven't had any time to write or edit the chapters. I thank you guys so much if you've been following the story, you are truly amazing. Anyway, I won't take up any more of your time. Enjoy!
> 
> ~C.C

"Explain to me exactly _how_ we're gonna get to Star City at this rate?" Mia asked, keeping a firm grip on Harper's jacket.

For reasons Harper couldn't understand, Mia had insisted on walking by herself halfway through their trek. That didn't keep Harper himself from insisting she at least let him keep a hold on her in the event she fainted. He unconsciously tightened his grip on her waist as he peered down another alley.

"We're taking a shortcut." he said simply.

"Dude, no disrespect, but I highly doubt any shortcut will get us there faster than a bus." Mia turned her head away and stumbled as another wave of coughs racked her body.

Harper waited until she nodded to indicate she was okay to walk.

"Trust me, this is a much more effective way of travel than a bus." Harper checked the next alley and grinned when he saw the abandoned telephone booth. "Come on."

As he opened the door, Mia raised a brow.

"Is this the part where you tell me you're the Doctor?" she asked.

Harper gave a small smirk as he ushered her inside. "Dunno, you wanna be Rose or Donna?"

Mia let out a small laugh. "I think you're a _little_ behind in the series there, Harper."

Harper frowned. He sometimes forgot he was living eight years in the future. He closed the door behind them and punched in the code to allow civilians to travel via zeta tube. Mia gave him a look of confusion before freezing as a beam of light came out and scanned over them. Harper wrapped an arm around her shoulders as the computer spoke.

**"Recognize: Red Arrow, 21. Mia Dearden, Civilian."**

"Red Arrow?" Mia asked, looking at Harper. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. He tightened his grip as Mia let out a small yelp of surprise as they were transferred. A few seconds later, they were in Star City.

Harper opened the door to the zeta tube and helped Mia out. She looked around in shock.

"So, you probably have some questions." Harper said.

"Where are we?!” Mia shrieked. "How did we get here?! Why did that scanner thing know my name?! And what is tha-"

Mia froze as she stared at the zeta tube. Or rather, the police box hiding the zeta tube.

"Is that the TARDIS?! Are you actually the Doctor because I was _totally_ joking when I said that!"

Harper let out a snort. "We're in Star City, the scanner's smart, it's called a zeta tube, and no I'm not the Doctor. But, you're right about the TARDIS thing, or at least it was modeled after it."

Mia stared at him in shock. It was obvious she was having trouble taking everything in. She looked back at the zeta tube trying to put two and two together. Harper figured she was realizing he was someone of at least _some_ importance to have something like a zeta tube at his disposal.

"Look," Harper said slowly. "I know you're probably confused, trust me I know the feeling. But, just let me get you somewhere safe or at least to people who can help you and I promise you'll never have to see me again."

Mia walked toward him until they were nearly chest-to-chest, causing Harper to instinctively take a step back. Harper looked down at her a saw the huge amount of insecurity in her blue eyes. She searched his face before letting out a deep breath.

" _Why_ are you helping me?"

"Because I know how much it sucks to get screwed over by the people you trust, the people you love." Harper said.

“Bull. You have a reason for doing this; everyone has their reasons for helping people like me.” Mia snapped."What do you want in return? I can't pay you back with money, but I might consider-"

"No," Harper said firmly. "I don't want anything in return, _especially_ not that."

Mia didn't say anything, crossing her arms over her chest. She broke eye contact with him and looked at her feet, Harper could see the tears coming to her eyes. He knew he had to say something.

"You're not worthless, Mia. Even if people have told you that you are, or that you're only good for sex. If you really want to repay me, repay me by getting out of this life. Don't work the streets anymore."

Mia swallowed a lump in her throat. She took the hat she'd been holding and placed it on her head. When she looked up, the tears were gone.

"Well, let's get moving then. Where do we need to go?"

Harper gave her a small smile. He would never admit it, but the hat suited her in an odd way. He watched Mia skip down the alley. As she neared the street, a loud, wheezing cough ripped its way from her mouth. Mia braced herself against the wall and clutched her chest in pain. Harper's eyes widened; darting forward, he scooped Mia up before she could collapse.

"We're going to see a friend of mine. He can help." he looked down at her in worry as he ran down the street. She weakly rested her head against his chest as she continued to cough. "Just hang in there, Mia."

 

_~~~"'Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." -Lilo & Stitch~~~_

_The sounds of explosions rattled the tiny, broken house. Bart had no idea what was happening. He sped down stairs and watched in horror as the neighborhood was engulfed in flames. As the blasts got closer, Bart felt a hand grab onto the back of his shirt and suddenly found himself a mile away from the smoldering remains of his house. He looked up in terror._

_"Dad, what's going on?!" he asked._

_Don looked at the sky and Bart saw it, the giant figure looming in the sky. Blue Beetle. Don squeezed his eyes shut and knelt in front of his son. He grabbed Bart by the shoulders, looking him dead it the eyes._

_"Bart, you need to go," he said firmly. "You're fast enough to get ahead of him. You can make it out of here, son."_

_"But, what about you?!" Bart panicked._

_"Bart, just go! I'm going to hold him off!"_

_Before Bart could protest again, Don bolted towards Blue Beetle, using a near by car as a spring-board. The attempt was in vain. Blue Beetle caught Don mid-air before slamming him to the ground. Bart stood frozen in fear. As he watched Blue Beetle point his laser at Don, Bart nearly bolted towards him._

_Don looked at Bart in horror. A his last words came out in a screech._

_"BART RUN!"_

_The blast of the cannon knocked Bart over. He watched in horror as his dad disintegrated. As Blue Beetle began to turn towards him, Bart jumped to his feet and ran. Ran faster than he'd ever pushed himself before. He heard a cackle behind him and could feel the heat of the lasers being fired at him._

_He could feel himself slowing down. Bart panicked. He wasn't focused, couldn't get himself to go at the speeds he needed to get to in order to get away. Another laser was shot, barely grazing Bart's heels. The feeling of dread filled Bart's stomach. He knew he was going to die at this rate. He heard another laser beginning to fire up. He knew this one would be the one to kill him. As he continued to run, Bart closed his eyes and braced himself._

_As the laser fired, Bart felt someone knock into him. Arms wrapped around him, keeping a secure lock on his waist while the other shielded his head. They tumbled out of the way at light-speed and down an embankment. As they came to a halt, Bart sat up. He let out a groan. The other person slapped a hand over his mouth and pulled him close to them. Bart could hear Blue Beetle calling out from the distance._

_"I_ will _find you, meat! You will not get away!"_

_The other person clutched him closer. As Bart turned his head to see who'd rescued him, he froze. A woman in her late twenties with short red hair sat stiffly. Her eyes were hidden by a pair of red goggles, but that didn't keep Bart from knowing they were green. His throat went dry as he felt tears come to his eyes._

_As soon as she was satisfied that Blue Beetle wasn't going to find them she turned Bart towards her and took his face in her hands._

_"Bart, are you alright?" she asked urgently, her eyes betraying her worry. "Bartholomew, talk to me. Did you get hurt?"_

_Bart let out a choked sob and wrapped his arms around her neck._

_"Aunt Irey," his voice cracked. "I thought...I-I mean nobody came for us so...my dad...my dad’s gone. My mom’s gone, too. I’m...I’m all alone.."_

_Irey wrapped her arms around him and held him close. "You're not alone, Bart. You're going to be okay. I've got you."_

_Bart shook slightly, hugging her back. For the first time in a while, he felt like things might  be alright after all. A loud explosion went off behind them and he screamed._

"Bart! Wake up, hermano!" a voice said.

Bart's eyes shot open. He let out a slight scream as he was met face-to-face with Blue Beetle. His mind was racing.

_"Gotta get away. Gotta find Aunt Irey. Gotta get away, gotta get away, gotta survive!"_

"Bart, it's me!" The armor stripped away, revealing Jaime's face.

Bart's thoughts came to a halt. Right, he was in the future. That meant Jaime wasn't evil, that Aunt Irey hadn't even been _born_ yet.

But, that didn't mean he wasn't in any danger.

"Move it or lose it, kid!" a guard barked.

"We're coming!" Jaime snapped, pulling Bart to his feet. He kept a firm grip on his shoulder as the guard shoved them into the hall.

Bart looked as they walked down the corridor. Dread filled him as he recognized the aliens. Or rather, the Reach.

"Where's Gar?" Bart asked quietly.

"They separated us." Jaime answered. "He's with another group."

"Got any idea where they're taking us?"

"No clue."

As they were shoved into another room, Bart felt his heart drop. There had to be at least a dozen other kids with them. All look scared and confused. A familiar face stuck out.

"Gar!" Bart called.

Gar looked up and gave Bart a look of utter relief.

"I thought they'd killed you guys." Gar said. Bart and Jaime walked forward until they were reunited with their team-mate.

"We're safe," Jaime sighed. "For now."

"Jaime!" a voice called out.

Jaime turned at the sound of his name in shock. Tye pushed his way through the crowd toward them.

"Tye!" Jaime reached out and gave his friend a hug. "You've been missing for over a month!"

"I know," he said. "I got grabbed by one of these guys at the bus station."

Though Jaime was relieved to find out that Tye was safe, he was still unsure why he'd been taken in the first place.

Tye lowered his eyes. "How...How's my mom?"

"She's fine, " Jaime said, placing a hand on Tye's shoulder. "She's worried sick about you, but she's safe. Maurice was arrested a month ago for piracy."

Tye visibly relaxed at the news. Before he could speak, a guard came over and grabbed Tye.

"You, over here!" he snapped, shoving Tye over to an African-American boy surrounded by three other guards.

Bart looked around in horror as he realized they were being separated into different groups. The majority of the teens were in one large group, which made Bart wonder why Tye and the other boy had been selected. The guard walked back over and grabbed Bart and Gar.

"You two are going with them." he hissed, shoving them into Tye's group.

Jaime began to make his way toward them when another guard grabbed him.

"You don't go with them. You're going to the lab. Take him!"

“What?!”

Two other guards appeared, grabbing Jaime by the arms. He thrashed and attempted to break free as they started to drag him away.

"Jaime!" Tye called.

"Blue, no!" Gar cried, trying to sprint forward. Bart held him back.

"I'll be fine!" Jaime yelled as he was dragged out.

As the doors slid shut, Tye started to storm forward. Bart caught his arm. He knew they had to stay calm.

"Stay put." Bart said.

"They took Jaime!" Tye snarled.

"And we'll get him back. But, it won't do him any good if you get hurt trying to help him." Bart hissed.

Tye growled and stayed where he was. Bart let out a small breath of relief. He would never consider himself a leader, hell he'd pass the job onto Tye or anyone else if he could. But, Bart knew he was the only one here who knew anything about how the Reach worked.

So, he waited. Waited as the guards continued to separate the kids, none being added to their tiny group of four.

"What do you think they're gonna do to us, Bart?" Gar whispered.

"I don't know, Garfield." Bart answered.

A guard turned their attention to them. Bart narrowed his eyes. He grabbed Gar by the shoulders, backing him up until he was positioned behind him. He kept his grip tight and gave the guard a glare that said _"you take him from me, I will end you"_. He knew the glare well, Aunt Irey had used it too many times to count. The guard turned away.

"You! What do you think you're doing?!" a guard snapped.

Bart looked over and saw a small girl around his age walking towards the larger group. Two guards picked her up as she tried to get away.

"Put her with the other four!" the head guard commanded.

As the two carried her over, the girl thrashed.

"Let me go! Let me go!" her eyes widened in panic and started to glow white. "LET ME GO!"

The light above them glowed in a dark energy and sparked. Many of the other teens gasped and screamed. The head guard growled.

"Take care of her!"

The first guard held the girl as the other punched her in the stomach. She collapsed and the light stopped sparking. The first guard threw her at the other group, causing her to slide across the floor. She groaned in pain.

Gar was the first to react. He dashed forward and touched her shoulder.

"Are you alright?!"

The girl sat up, hissing in pain. The head guard walked over.

"On your feet!"

"Back off! She's hurt!" Gar snapped.

"She will heal. On your feet!" the guard barked.

Gar glared for a moment before helping the girl to her feet. She gave him a small nod.

"I'm Garfield." he said quietly. Bart came over and put her other arm around her neck. She blinked her strange purple eyes at them.

"I'm Raven."

Bart closed his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek. He knew her, or rather knew _of_ her. Knew how she was one of the people who'd been killed during the Reach apocalypse. The guards ushered the group out of the room.

"Trying to resist with be fatal." the guard said.

"Guess we don't have much of a choice then." Tye grumbled.

"No, we don't." Bart said grimly. He helped Gar carry Raven down the hall, wondering where they were being taken.

 

_~~~"You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you don't trust enough." -Frank Crane~~~_

 

"So, _where_ is this place again?" Wally asked coldly, following Nightwing down the rows of warehouses.

"It's not far." he replied shortly.

After their fight at the Hall of Justice, Wally had insisted on coming with Nightwing to make sure everyone was alright. He may be retired, but that didn't mean he didn't care about his friends. Wally raised a brow as he watched Nightwing. Years of being his best friend had given him a sixth sense to understand the younger boy's emotions. He could tell something was up.

"Alright, I _know_ something else is bugging you," Wally sighed. "What's going on with you?"

Nightwing tightened his jaw. "It’s _nothing_. There was just a small addition to the team I didn't plan on making."

Wally rolled his eyes. If Nightwing was going to be pissy, fine by him. The sooner he could see if friends, the sooner he could leave. They entered the open warehouse and descended down a flight of stairs. Nightwing was relieved to see the rest of the team had gathered in the center of the room. They’d  made it there safely.

"Nightwing!" Barbara called. She leapt off the couch and wrapped her arms around his waist. Nightwing hugged her back.

"I'm alright, Babs."

Wally looked away, feeling a pang in his chest. A familiar face by the computer caught his eye.

"You'd think it'd be easy to rewrite a security system. But, no. Supervillains _always_ have to make everything _way_ harder than it needs to be." Hartley grumbled.

"At least you got the rest of the rooms open." Miguel offered. Hartley gave him a small smile.

"Hartley!" Wally called, heading over. Hartley spun around in surprise, grinning when he saw Wally.

"Hey, dude! Long time no see! **"**

Wally soon found himself with an arm full of Miguel. He patted the other man on the back.

"Good to see you too, Miguel."

"How are you holding up?" Miguel asked.

Wally sighed. "I've had better days. What are you guys doing here anyway?"

"A friend called and asked me to rewrite the security system." Harley answered, continuing to type.

"He's almost done." Miguel stated proudly. He wrapped his arms around Hartley's shoulders and pecked him on the temple.

Even though it hurt to see another couple so clearly in love, Wally couldn't help but smile. He glanced around.

"Where's Megan?" he asked.

"She's in one of the rooms." Miguel frowned. "She's pretty torn up. Who can blame her? She lost La'gaan not that long ago and now her brother’s gone too."

"She might wanna be left alone." Hartley added.

"I'll see if I can talk to her." Wally said, walking down the dim hall.

"Good luck. I'll have the lights working in a few minutes, by the way!" Hartley called.

Wally waved a hand to indicate that he'd heard him. As he walked, he couldn't help but feel drained. Drained from missing Artemis, from worrying about the team, but mainly from this huge secret he had to keep. He hated the idea that Kaldur could be a triple agent, but it was a possibility.

Wally rubbed his face in exhaustion. He felt someone bump into him.

"Oh, crap! Sorry about that. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was-"

"Wally?"

Wally’s head snapped up at the sound of the other person’s voice. Harley looked back at him with a calm expression. Well, that explained why Nightwing was acting so sour. Wally relaxed his shoulders and stared back.

"You came back." he murmured.

Harley looked away, opting to lean against the opposite wall.

"Yeah, I did." she said.

They stood in silence for a moment, unsure of what to say.

"I heard about Artemis," Harley announced. "I'm so sorry, Wally."

Wally swallowed the forming lump in his throat. He let out a small cough.

"Nightwing isn't exactly happy to see you."

"Neither were the other bats." Harley looked at her feet. "I see they got a new Robin."

Wally frowned. He hadn't missed the flash of regret on Harley's face.

"Harley-"

"I can imagine he told you." Harley cut him off. "About that night. I can only imagine how mad you probably are at me."

"I'm not mad at you because of that night." Wally narrowed his eyes. "You hurt him, Harley. He _needed_ you, and you _left_."

"I didn't have a choice!" Harley hissed. "Nobody has _any_ idea what happened after that night. Nightwing didn't need me; he’d made up his mind about never wanting to see me again after what had happened. So get off your high horse, West. Don't assume you know everything when you've only heard one side of the story."

Harley stormed off. As Wally watched her go, he gave a deep sigh. 

"He blames himself more than he blames you for that night, Harley. He still cared when you left."

Harley paused. She kept her back to him. "Could’ve fooled me. It doesn't matter anymore anyway, I've done my part to help. I'll be out of boy wonder’s hair soon enough."

"You two still have a chance to fix things." Wally said quietly. He saw Harley tense.

"There's nothing left to fix."

Wally said nothing else. He left,  continuing to search for Megan's room. Harley walked down the hall and came face-to-face with Robin. She tensed even more as she passed him. He looked like he was about to say something to her.

"Save it, kid," she said. "I've heard enough crap from Nightwing already."

Robin looked caught off guard. Harley stopped and took a shaky breath. She turned back to Robin.

"By the way, don't die on them, okay? They can't handle another loss."

Robin stood in confusion and watched as she left. He didn't know a lot about Harley, other than the fact she was apparently the daughter of the Joker. He silently decided that if he was ever going to find out what was going on, he'd have to do a little detective work of his own.

 

_~~~"Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts." -Arnold Bennett~~~_

 

"Okay, here's the situation." Nightwing addressed the group. "Aqualad, along with three other villains, broke into Mount Justice yesterday night. He took Impulse, Beast Boy, and Blue Beetle hostage and blew up the cave. We're not sure where he took them."

"Do we have any indication that they could still be alive?" Robin asked. He glanced over at Megan who had been sitting silently the entire time.

"We have reason to believe that they may have been taken to the location of the other missing teenagers." Nightwing replied.

"What gives you that idea?" Cassie asked curiously.

"Wishful thinking?" Nightwing sighed.

"Nightwing told us that Icicle Jr was with Aqualad's team." Barbara added. "Last time we checked, he was working with Psimon. There's a good possibility that they were delivered with the other teens to the Light's partner."

"Oh yeah!" Cassia exclaimed. "And, other than looking like they were unconscious, they all seemed to be alright."

"The Light wouldn't take children for no apparent reason," Harley spoke up, drawing the attention of the room. "They'll have a purpose for them. They won't hurt or kill them either, it'd be a major loss to whatever they're planning. Trust me, the Light doesn't like needless waste in resources."

"Can we, though?" Robin asked.

"Can we what?" Harley asked in confusion.

"Trust you? You could be a double agent for the Light." Robin said.

Everyone in the room began to look uncomfortable. Nightwing looked as if he was about to speak up when Megan stood.

"I can check." she said, eyes glowing green. Conner tensed as Harley backed up.

"No way!" Harley snapped. "I _saw_ what you did to Psimon! You stay out of my head!"

Megan narrowed her eyes and held a hand out. Harley's eyes widened as her body began to go rigid. Conner pushed off the wall.

"She saved us." he stated.

Megan stopped and looked at him, causing Harley to let out a small gasp and double over. Nightwing jumped. He looked as though he was about to go check on her when Wally beat him to it. 

"You alright?" he asked quietly, helping Harley up.

"My head hurts." Harley murmured.

"She's the one who brought us here, offered this base as a safe haven." Conner explained. Everyone in the room share a look of apprehension. Harley looked away in shame. Conner sighed and continued calmly.

"Look, we have no reason to trust Harley, but if she was working for the Light, wouldn't it have been easier to turn us over during the explosion or let us _die_?"

Nobody said a word. Hartley cleared his throat.

"If I can add something," he said. "I've finished rewriting the security codes. This place can never be accessed by the Light now. I've basically linked it up to only allow access to members associated with the League. If we need to, I can transfer information of this place to the Watchtower. In other words, we're safe here."

"Thank you, Hartley." Nightwing said. "I know you've already done a lot for us, but is there any chance I can ask for another favor?"

"We'll do anything we can to help." Miguel said firmly.

"I need you guys to investigate recent disappearances. Talk to the families, find out if there's anything that could make the kids a target. As far as we know, they could have special abilities." Nightwing stated.

"We'll head out as soon as possible." Hartley replied.

Nightwing nodded. As he addressed everyone else, Conner noticed Harley slip out of the room silently.

Harley pulled her keys out of her bag and unlocked her Navigator. As she reached for the door handle, a voice stopped her.

"You're leaving?" Conner asked.

Harley hesitated. "I'm not welcome here. And, no offence, but I _really_ don't feel like having my mind scrambled by your girlfriend." 

"She's not my girlfriend." Conner sighed. "Not anymore at least."

Harley raised a brow. "No? Last time I saw you two together, you guys were completely into each other."

"Yeah, well, a lot can change in five years." Conner snapped.

"Don't I know it?" Harley snorted. "Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. I've had two failed relationships in the last few years alone."

"You wanna talk about it?" Conner offered, rubbing the back of his neck. He still didn't fully trust her, but he figured he might as well try to get to know her before jumping to any more conclusions.

"There's nothing _to_ talk about," Harley shrugged. "I had a great relationship with guy number one that ended with a major fight. Guy number two and I had been friends for years and started dating a few months after I moved from Gotham. Then it just kinda ended for one reason or another."

"Reasons being?"

"We just had disagreements on how to live our lives. Figured it'd be better if we broke up. I still hear from  him every once in a while, so I guess we're still friends." Harley said.

Harley fiddling with her keys, clearly unsure of what Conner was trying to do. Conner stuck out his hand.

"I'm Conner Kent." he said.

"Why are you telling me your name?" Harley asked.

"Because I trust you."

Harley seemed taken aback by the notion. She slowly reached out and shook his hand, giving him a small smirk.

"You sure you're not just trying to convince me not to leave?" she teased.

"At this point, we need as many heroes to help us as we can get. We’re clearly outnumbered, especially with some of the League gone." Conner admitted.

Harley laughed and began to walk to the base.

"I'm no hero," she said. "and at this point, heroes aren't really what you guys need. You guys are gonna need a cavalry."

 

_~~~"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone." -Ronald Reagan~~~_

 

Dinah paced around the living room anxiously. Oliver and Roy sat on the couch in silence watching her. None of them could believe what had happened. Rain pelted against the window loudly, filling the tense atmosphere with the noise it so desperately needed.

"The Watchtower already knows what happened," Oliver stated, breaking the silence. "Nightwing was able to contact us."

"That doesn't change the fact three more kids were taken hostage," Roy sighed. "Not to mention we still don't know where Roy- where _Arsenal_ is."

"Then why are we here?!" Dinah snapped. "We should be out looking for him, or at the very least helping Nightwing."

"There isn't much we can do," Oliver said. "Besides, Nightwing can handle himself. He's probably already got the rest of the team somewhere safe."

"Or so we hope." Roy muttered. Dinah sent him a dark glare, causing Roy to hold his hands up in surrender.

“And who’s to say the Light hasn't already gotten him? The longer we spend doing nothing the more likely Ro- _Arsenal_ may’ve been taken!”

“He wouldn't want anything to do with us, Di! Even if we did find him, there’s no way we could convince him to come back with us. Even if it was for his own safety.” Roy argued.

Dinah clenched her fists and turned away. She knew he was right. The only way they’d ever be able to get Arsenal to come home would be if he did it of his own free will.

"Is Jade still with her mother?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, she took Lian to meet her. They'll be back tomorrow." Roy answered.

The chime of the doorbell caught everyone's attention. Oliver looked at the clock.

"Who would come here so late?" he murmured. "And in this weather, no less."

"Maybe Jade came back early." Roy suggested. The doorbell chimed again, multiple times. Roy got up and made his way into the foyer.

Roy opened the door and nearly reeled back in shocked. "Roy?! What are you-"

"Forget about me!" Harper snapped. "Help her!"

Roy looked down at the girl Harper clutching in his arms. She looked dazed and was coughing badly. If he hadn't heard her coughing, he would think the girl was already dead. Roy whirled around.

"DINAH! OLIVER! CALL AN AMBULANCE!"


	4. Regrets Collect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> I'm so sorry I haven't updated recently. There's really no excuse considering I've been moving this fic from my old account on FF.Net and reediting it. The only thing I can say is the last several months of school have been extremely stressful and hectic so I haven't been able to spend a lot of time on it as I could have been. This fic will keep updating as I edit it but eventually it will start slowing down as I catch up with where I'd left off. So, thank you so much for patiently waiting. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
> 
> ~C.C

"So, let me get this straight," Oliver sighed. "You met this girl last night, saved her from some creep, took her in, and brought her to _me_ because she was sick?"

Harper crossed his arms and slouched in his seat. "It wasn't _just_ some creep; she needed help."

"What, was he like a mugger or something?" Roy asked, raising a brow.

"No, he was..." Harper sighed. "he was her pimp."

Roy and Oliver's heads shot up, staring  at Harper in shock. They'd been sitting in the hospital for a few hours now trying to get the whole story out of him but Harper had only given them bare minimum details thus far.

"I didn’t exactly ask her what had happened, I just know that she escaped him last night and he went after her. He would've killed her if he'd gotten the chance."

"Jesus Christ." Roy groaned, rubbing his forehead.

"Roy-" Oliver began.

"He's Roy," Harper said, nodding to his clone. "Call me Harper."

"Harper," Oliver corrected. "do you know anything else about her?"

"Just that her name is Mia Dearden and she ran away from home because of some issues with her dad." Harper rubbed the back of his neck. "And that she insisted on not going to the hospital."

"She had a 101 degree fever," Dinah spoke as she entered the waiting room. "There was no way we _couldn't_ bring her here."

"What did the doctor say?" Oliver asked.

"He wanted to know who she was, I told him she was a new ward of yours." Dinah sat down. "He didn't ask anything else before they took her in."

"How is she?" Harper asked quietly, catching the others by surprise.

"She's still asleep. But, her fever broke and she should be awake soon." Dinah said.

Harper let out a breath of relief. He looked aimlessly at the wall. "She's good with a bow."

"What?" Oliver asked.

"When we were in San Francisco a giant raccoon attacked us." Harper stretched out his arms for emphasis. "Mia grabbed my old bow and shot it."

Dinah and Roy shared a look. Oliver sighed, opening and closing his mouth in attempt to say something.

"I'm not saying you should take her on as a side-kick," Harper said. "Especially since you just lost one recently. Mention it as a way to break the ice with her, I don't think she trusts people often."

Oliver fell silent and looked down at his hands. Roy stood, pulling a phone out of his pocket.

"I'm gonna give Jade a call, tell her what's up." Roy announced, walking off.

Harper watched him go with a raised brow. "Who's Jade?"

Oliver and Dinah exchanged a hesitant look.

"We'll...explain that later, Harper." Oliver said.

Harper looked at him in confusion when a nurse walked over.

"Excuse me, are you here for Mia?" she asked.

"Yes, we are." Dinah answered. The nurse smiled.

"She's awake if you want to see her." the nurse said.

Harper stood up immediately and followed her down the hall. Oliver and Dinah came shortly after.

"Now, she's in a bit of a bad mood," the nurse said, stopping outside the door. "Just a fair warning."

Harper rolled his eyes and entered the room. Mia sat in the bed with her arms crossed, glaring as Harper walked in. Harper snorted.

"So, I'm guessing you're mad at me."

"No, I'm _pissed_." Mia said bluntly. "I don't like hospitals."

"Yeah, well, deal with it," Harper sighed, sitting next to the bed. "You had an extremely high fever and probably would’ve died."

Mia pouted and looked at Dinah and Oliver. "Who are you?"

"I'm Dinah Lance," Dinah said, walking toward the bed. "And this is Oliver Queen, my boyfriend."

Mia shook Dinah's hand and suspiciously looked at Oliver. "Oliver Queen as in the mayor of Star City?"

Oliver gave her a small smile, trying to hide his obvious delight. "Yes. Not many people outside of Star City recognize my name."

"I've heard of you briefly." she smirked. "I, uh, knew a couple of politicians."

Oliver shifted uncomfortably while Harper let out a short laugh. Dinah sent a small glare at Harper.

"Jade said they'd stop by the hospital. They're almost here." Roy announced, walking into the room.

"Who is Jade?" Harper asked. Mia's eyes went wide.

"Dude, I didn’t know you had an older brother! You guys look identical!"

“I don’t.” Harper grumbled, looking away. Mia looked at Dinah for an answer.

"The situation is complicated." Dinah said quickly.

Mia shrugged. "Uh, okay?"

The room fell into an awkward silence. Mia grabbed the remote and turned the TV volume up as a broadcast of what had happened in Happy Harbor caught her attention. Oliver's face fell as the anchorwoman recounted the events of the last few days.

"This is getting worse." he said quietly.

"Wally got a hold of Paula last night. Jade told me he said everyone was okay." Roy said.

“Well, at least there’s that.” Dinah murmured.

“What happened?” Harper asked.

“There was an explosion. Some of the team went missing.” Oliver explained, voice heavy with worry.

“Do they know where they are yet?”

“No.”

Mia stared at Oliver for a long moment. She sucked in a breath with a star and clicked the TV off as the broadcast switched to the weather.

"So, can I ask about the elephant in the room?" Mia asked.

Everyone looked at her in confusion.

"Sure?" Dinah said slowly.

Mia pointed at Oliver. "Are you Green Arrow?"

Oliver sputtered in shock. "W-Why would you ask that?!"

"Because I've only ever seen one blonde guy with a weird goatee like that." Mia said, rubbing her chin. “And it was Green Arrow.”

"Why does everyone hate the goatee?!" Oliver asked.

"You _told_ her?!" Roy exclaimed.

"I didn't tell her anything!" Harper snapped.

"Whoa, wait, what?!" Mia shrieked. "I was totally joking, I just thought you were like a fanboy or something! You're actually Green Arrow?!"

As everyone in the room started yelling and arguing with each other, a woman cleared her throat.

"This is beginning to sound like my family." Jade said, holding Lian in her arms. Everyone went quiet.

"Hey, Jade." Roy sighed.

"Who is Jade?!" Harper yelled. Lian turned her attention to Harper and let out a happy "Dada!"

Harper blanched. Oliver sighed heavily and closed the door.

"Alright, let's start from the beginning."

 

_~~~"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength." -Corrie Ten Boom~~~_

 

"Thank you again for meeting with us, Mr. Hawkins. We know how hard this must be for you." Hartley began, setting his glass on the coffee table.

Robert rubbed his face. "It's incredibly hard. I lost my wife to gang violence six years ago and now my son is missing. It's killing me not knowing where he is."

"Do you know when Virgil went missing, Mr. Hawkins?" Hartley asked. Miguel pulled out his notebook and a pen.

"It had to have been around February." Robert sighed.

Miguel nudged Hartley, showing him his notebook. Virgil was another person on their list of missing kids who had disappeared around February. Hartley narrowed his eyes and nodded.

"Was he with anyone when he went missing?" Hartley questioned.

"Yes, actually. He was with his friend Richie." Robert said, casting a glance over his shoulder. Miguel and Hartley followed his gaze to a pale blond boy sitting silently on the stairs. Neither had noticed him enter the room.

"Mr. Hawkins," Miguel spoke up. "Did Virgil have any...special abilities?"

Richie tensed suddenly. It didn't go unnoticed by Miguel. Robert crossed his arms.

"Virgil's always been a smart kid. He's always stayed away from things that could get him into trouble. _Especially_ things like the Big Bang."

"The Big Bang?" Hartley asked.

“The solar system thing?” Miguel asked.

“Not the solar system thing,” Robert explained. "It happened about six months ago. There was going to be this huge gang fight on the docks, but the police arrived before things could go south. Some gunfire went off and hit some toxic chemicals. There was a gas leak and some of the people that were there developed what you'd probably consider 'special abilities'. They're called Bang Babies."

Hartley sputtered in shock as Miguel dropped his pen. Richie grabbed his head and tugged at his hair quietly before heading back up the stairs.

"H-Have you noticed any of these Bang Babies missing recently?" Hartley asked once he'd regained composure.

Robert narrowed his eyes. "Who are you boys anyway? You're clearly not with the police. And I'll be honest, if you're reporters I will _not_ be happy."

"We're not reporters," Miguel said, taking a picture of Jaime out of his notebook. "This is my friend, Jaime Reyes. He went missing the other day. It's not like him to run away and I have a sinking feeling he was kidnapped."

Robert took the picture. "And you think your friend's disappearance could be linked to my son's?"

"At first, I thought someone might have messed with him to hurt me." Miguel explained. "But, then I noticed an unusually high amount of missing children or runaway cases reported in February around the country. I have a bad feeling  that they could be connected somehow and recruited my, uh, partner in crime over here to help me out."

"And you didn't go to the police because...?" Robert asked.

"Jaime is..." Miguel hesitated. "like a bang baby, you could say. I didn't want him to get locked away. Not to mention the police in our area don't really care if I report him missing due to my race and sexuality; I don’t really trust them to actually do anything, you know?"

Robert sighed heavily and gave Miguel the picture back, shaking his head.

"It's horrible that people can't get over something as simple as race or sexuality in this day and age. Tell you what, I'll put poster's of your friend around the civics center and see if anyone has any info."

"That's very kind of you, but we're actually from Texas." Miguel smiled softly.

“I’ll do it anyway.” Robert said. “You never know with things like this; he could turn up here.”

Richie came sprinting down the stairs, grabbing his jacket by the door.

"I'm heading out, Mr. H." he said quickly, opening the door.

"Go home, Richie.” Robert said firmly. “I don't want you searching the streets at night."

"Yeahyeahyeah, I hear you, Mr. H! Later!" Richie called, rushing out.

Robert sighed. "He's been looking for Virgil since he disappeared. Poor kid's going crazy trying to find him."

Hartley and Miguel exchanged a look.

"Do you boys have any place to stay for the evening?" Robert asked. "We have a guest room if you don't."

"No, thank you though." Miguel said.

"We actually have to take off soon. We're staying with a friend in town." Hartley smiled, standing up.

"Anybody I may know?" Robert asked.

"Depends on whether or not you know Raquel Ervin." Miguel grinned.

"Raquel!" Robert laughed. "I haven't seen her since she was in high school! How is she? I heard she had a baby."

"Yeah, cute little baby boy named Amistad." Hartley chuckled.

"Well, tell her I said hello and that she should stop by the civics center sometime." Robert smiled.

"Will do, thank you again for your time, Mr. Hawkins." Hartley said as they walked out.

"Good luck, boys." Robert called.

Miguel waved goodbye as the door closed. As soon as it had, he whirled toward Hartley.

"Okay, that is the fifth person in a row that said their kid went missing in February, this can't be a coincidence."

"I agree. And did you see his friend?" Hartley asked, walking away from the house.

"Oh, you mean how he was freaking out every time we mentioned something related to powers?!" Miguel exclaimed.

"I think he knows more that Mr. Hawkins thinks he does. I also have a feeling Virgil, if not _both_ of them, were at this big bang thing." Hartley said. Miguel peered over his shoulder and grabbed his arm.

" _Cariño_ , look." Miguel whispered, pointing.

Hartley looked over his shoulder and saw Richie jogging down the street. He turned back to Miguel.

"Should we follow him?"

"I don't honestly see how else we're going to get information." Miguel sighed.

Both men waited until Richie turned a corner before heading down the street.

 

 _~~~"It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them."_ _-Confucius~~~_

 

Mal sighed and rubbed his face. It was difficult keeping tabs on the two squads without the cave's computer, not to mention he had no idea how to work the warehouse’s computer either. Someone gave him a tap on his shoulder. As he turned in his seat, a cup of coffee hovered in front of his face.

"Brought some coffee and aspirin. You look like you need it." Harley said, shaking the bottle of aspirin.

Mal took both, surprise etched into his features. "Thanks."

Harley shrugged and looked at the monitor. "Any updates?"

"Alpha squad's investigating the wreckage at Mount Justice," Mal said. "beta squad's still in Dakota, though."

"Can they even be called beta squad? It's only Hartley and Miguel." Harley asked.

"It's a covert thing. If we get our transmission intercepted, the bad guys won't know who's on what squad." Mal explained.

"Wouldn’t be too hard to figure out with only two people on a squad." Harley murmured. “But, I guess it makes sense.”

Mal paused for a moment before looking at her. "You told us you don't work with the Joker anymore. What's the story behind that?"

Harley shifted uncomfortably, looking everywhere but at him.

"It's a long, complicated story..." she rubbed her neck. "Let's just say I witnessed something that changed how I looked at him. He kicked me out later that night. It was about two years ago."

"Do you miss working with him?" Mal asked.

"Working with him, no; in general, yes. Despite the fact he’s kinda a psychopath, he is my dad." Harley admitted.

Before Mal could press any farther, Nightwing walked in with Cassie and Robin at his heels.

"There has to be something we can do!" Cassie exclaimed.

"Yes, you can stay put." Nightwing sighed.

"But, we want to help! Let us go out and look for the others!" Robin pleaded.

"That's out of the question," Nightwing said. "we don't know if the Light will try to come after you two; you're safer here."

"This sucks!" Cassie yelled, storming out of the room. Robin hesitated and looked at Nightwing.

"We want to help." Robin said softly.

Nightwing gave him a sympathetic look. "I know you do, but we just can't risk it."

Robin's mouth pressed into a thin line, turning to follow Cassie. Nightwing let out a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Trouble in paradise?" Harley asked. Nightwing sent a glare in her direction. Harley stuck her hands up in surrender.

"We're just trying to keep them safe." Wally said, entering the room.

"It's still probably killing them to stay put." Mal said.

"No kidding, if they're half as impulsive as we were at that age, we're going to have to tighten security." Nightwing groaned.

"I could set up motion sensors if they do try to leave." Harley offered.

"It wouldn't help, Robin would be able to hack them." Nightwing snorted, a hint of pride in his voice.

"Harley, do you still have your costume?" Wally asked suddenly.

"Uh, not on me but it should still be where I left it." Harley said. "Why do you ask?"

"We need as much help as we can get. If you could get your costume, we could send you out for something." Wally suggested. He ignored the glare Nightwing sent him.

"I mean, I could go get it. There's just one problem." Harley sighed.

"Which is what?" Nightwing asked.

"I left it at the Joker's house. It should still be intact but I need to go there to get it."

A thick silence filled the air.

"Absolutely not!" Nightwing snapped.

"You _can't_ go get it!" Mal cried.

"Not by yourself at least." Wally added.

"It's not a big deal, it's not like he's going to try to _kill_ me or anything." Harley joked nervously.

"You still shouldn't go alone." Mal said.

Wally thought for a second before looking at Nightwing. He folded his arms and hid his smirk.

"Nightwing could go with you." he suggested.

"I'd rather risk my chances with the Joker." Harley said bluntly.

"I’m needed here." Nightwing added.

"We've got things covered here," Mal said. "I'm keeping an eye on the squads and Wally can check the radar."

"Not to mention, _I_ can make sure Cassie and Robin don't try to do anything stupid better than you can." Wally said.

Nightwing looked like he was about to protest. When he saw that he wasn't going to get the chance, he rolled his eyes.

"I'll go get changed." he grumbled.

"I'll be waiting in the car," Harley said, heading to the door. She stopped and doubled back. "Right after I find my keys."

As they went their separate ways, Wally rolled his eyes. Mal looked at him in confusion.

"They really don't like each other, do they?"

"They just have some bad blood between them." Wally sighed.

"She said she was Nightwing's friend. Was she lying or something?" Mal asked.

"I honestly have no clue, the guy rarely tells me these kind of things." Wally said, biting the inside of his cheek.

He knew it was a lie, he did know the story behind those two. Hell, he probably knew more than anyone else did. But, he wasn't going to out Nightwing's secret to anyone. Sure, he might be mad at Nightwing right now but he was still Wally's best friend.

Wally shook his head and walked away. "I'm gonna go check the radar."

"Alright, man." Mal said slowly. He sighed and turned back to the monitor. It was going to be a long night.

 

_~~~"It is hardly possible to build anything if frustration, bitterness and a mood of helplessness prevail." -Lech Walesa~~~_

 

"Ugh! I hate this!" Cassie yelled, flopping on the bed. "They're treating us like babies!"

"I don't like it either, but we don't have much of a choice." Robin admitted.

He absolutely hated having to stay put while his friends were in danger. But, it wasn't like they even knew where their friend's were being held to begin with. Otherwise, he'd be insisting on leaving now.

Cassie sat up suddenly. "What if we _do_ have a choice?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know how to hack into the computers, right?" Cassie whispered.

"Well, yeah, it's one of the first things Nightwing taught me." Robin answered.

Cassie grinned. "What if we do our own search?! We could find them and rescue them ourselves!"

Robin hesitated. He had been considering it to be honest. He shook his head.

"Even if we _did_ find them, it would be a really bad idea; the two of us against who _knows_ how many bad guys?"

Cassie pouted and pulled her legs to her chest. "If we _could_ get more people to help us, do you think we'd have a better chance?"

"Anything's possible, I guess. I don't know how happy Nightwing and the others would be about it, though." Robin said.

Before Cassie could say anything else, the door opened, revealing Nightwing in his civies. Robin looked at him in surprise.

"You going somewhere?"

"I'm going on a mission with Harley," Nightwing explained. "we need to get some stuff from the Joker's house."

Robin's eyes widened slightly. "You’re going with Harley to the Joker’s _house_? You sure that's a good idea?"

"It'll only be a couple of hours, hopefully." Nightwing said. Robin could tell he wasn't happy about it but said nothing.

Harley poked her head into the room. "Hey, you guys know there's a training room down the hall, right? You don't have to stay in the rooms all day."

Cassie and Robin said nothing. Nightwing gave an annoyed sigh and walked off. "We have to go. The sooner we get there, the better."

Harley rolled her eyes. "Whatever. We'll be back by tomorrow at the latest."

"You better be." Cassie said, narrowing her eyes.

"Your blatant distrust for me is completely understandable," Harley shrugged. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt leader boy."

She turned on her heels and left, closing the door behind her. Robin slumped against it.

"She's right, I don't trust her."

"Neither do I, but it'd be pretty stupid of her to try and hurt Nightwing now that we all kinda know her." Cassie said.

"She is the Joker's daughter, though. I wouldn't be surprised if she risked it." Robin said.

The two fell silent. Finally, Cassie stood.

"We might as well go check out the training room. It's not like we can go anywhere." Cassie grumbled.

Robin sighed and followed her out, silently wondering if he should start looking for potential recruits for the rescue mission after all.

 

_~~~"Regrets collect like old friends, here to relive your darkest moments..." -Florence + The Machine's "Shake It Out"~~~_

 

"Okay, let me see if I understand this." Mia said slowly. "Harper disappeared eight years ago and was cloned. Roy over here is the clone and has been living _as_ Roy Harper; he’s known as Red Arrow, sidekick of Green Arrow who's apparently Mr. Oliver Queen over there. Dinah's Black Canary and there was a girl named Artemis who was your sidekick but died? You guys found Harper recently, and he goes by Arsenal now. Now there's two Roy Harper's and I'm honestly starting to wonder if I somehow got taken to some weird alternate world because all of this is making very little sense. Am I missing anything?"

"Yes," Jade said. "I'm Roy's wife, we have a daughter named Lian, and Artemis was my sister. I'm also a retired member of the League of Shadows."

Mia slumped back in the bed and groaned. "This is some superhero Jerry Springer stuff."

"You seem to be following everything pretty well, though." Oliver said.

"Wish I did." Harper grumbled. He jumped when he felt Mia’s hand rest on his back in a comforting motion.

"Most people would be freaking out right now." Dinah said.

"Oh no, I'm totally freaking out," Mia admitted,laughing nervously. "It's confusing as hell but I guess it's kinda cool that I'm getting a chance to meet you guys. You've done a lot of good in the world. So, thanks, I guess."

"You don't need to thank us." Roy said. "Beside, we're not the only heroes who are out there."

“You’re the only heroes who bothered to help me.” Mia muttered.

Harper spared a glance at her. She smiled as if she hadn’t said anything. His attention was pulled to the nurse as she walked in holding a clipboard. She had a smile on her face but it was clear from her posture something was wrong.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to talk to Mia and her legal guardians for a moment. Is that alright?"

Everyone exchanged a confused look. Harper felt Mia’s hand tighten to grip onto the back of his shirt. He could tell she was afraid.

"Why can't we hear what you have to say?" Harper asked.

"It's something private and important that I need to discuss with Mia and her guardians, and _only_ them." the nurse said firmly as Harper started to protest. Oliver rubbed the back of his neck.

"She doesn't exactly have a legal-"

"Yes, it's fine." Mia said quickly, motioning to Oliver and Dinah. "They're my legal guardians."

Dinah gave her a smile as Oliver looked at her in surprise. Roy cleared his throat.

"We'll, uh, be waiting in the hall." he said.

“But-” Harper started.

“ _Now_ , Harper.” Roy said, following Jade out.

Harper hesitated and looked at Mia. "You gonna be alright?"

"I'll be fine." she said.

Harper sighed. He knew she was putting on a brave face and part of him wanted to stay with her. But, the nurse gave him an annoyed look that told him to get out. He stood and walked out of the room, watching as the nurse closed the door. He stood in awkward silence with Roy and Jade.

"Look, Harper," Roy sighed. "I know this is a lot to take in. And, I'm sorry you had to find out like this."

"Sorry for what?" Harper asked, looking at him. "I can't exactly be mad at you for being made or living your life. From what Dinah's told me, you didn't even know you _were_ a clone until five years ago."

"I think Roy means he's sorry about Lian, and about me." Jade said.

Harper looked at them. He was supposed to be angry that someone was living his life, that someone who'd taken his place had a family. But, for some reason, he couldn't. He couldn't be mad at someone for existing, even if it was his clone.

"I'm..." he paused. "I'm not mad. I'm shocked; but, I'm not mad."

Roy looked at him in genuine surprise. Jade shifted Lian in her arms and walked forward.

"Do you want to hold her?"

Harper sucked in a breath and slowly reached his arms out. Lian squealed in delight and reached for him. Harper felt her wrap her arms around his neck as he held her in his arms. It was strange, she was technically his daughter. A small smile formed on his lips.

"I guess the only problem now is to figure out what to call you." Jade said.

"Uncle," Harper said immediately. "She can call me Uncle Harper."

"Are you sure?" Roy joked, folding his arms. "I don't mind sharing the 'dad' title."

"You're her biological father," Harper said quickly. "She may have my DNA but you were the one who helped make her."

"You're taking this all really well." Jade chuckled.

Harper stared at her for a moment. "I'm really sorry about what happened to your sister. She sounded like a great person."

Jade frowned and glared at the ground. "I should've been there. I should've protected her."

"None of us could've know it was going to happen." Roy said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Harper stared at them for a moment. It was odd seeing himself, his _clone_ , staring at this woman so lovingly. It made him wonder with a sinking feeling whether or not he himself would fall in love with her himself.

Lian began to squirm, startling Harper. He readjusted his grip as he desperately tried to keep hold on the infant. The last thing he wanted was to drop her.

"Um...I may need a little help here." he said.

Roy cracked a small smile and took his daughter. A strange sensation filled Harper’s chest, almost like loss. Part of him actually felt _sad_ that Roy’s life wasn’t his. It felt like he’d somehow been robbed of the life he never knew.

The door to Mia's room opened as the nurse walked out, pulling Harper from his thoughts. Oliver and Dinah followed, looking drained. Oliver slowly closed the door to Mia's room. Harper could tell something was wrong.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Oliver looked at him and shook his head. "Mia wants to tell you herself, Harper. Give her a minute though. She's still trying to take it in."

"What happened? Is she alright?" Roy asked. Dinah shook her head and motioned for Roy and Jade to follow her.

Harper watched them go and placed a hand on the door handle. Oliver put his hand on his shoulder.

"Harper, she’s..." he hesitated. "she's kinda shook up. Don't press her for information until she's ready to tell you, okay?"

Harper's eyes widened, nodding slowly before opening the door. Mia was staring aimlessly out the window. He walked over and sat next to her bed.

"Mia, are you-"

"We're on the twelfth Doctor." she interrupted.

"Uh, what?"

Mia looked at him and gave a small smile. "Doctor Who. We're on the twelfth Doctor now. It's one of the things you missed in the past eight years. We could catch up later on it, I don't mind re-watching part of the series. God knows _I’ve_ missed a lot of it."

"So, does that mean you're taking Ollie up on his offer to be your legal guardian?" Harper asked.

"Might as well," Mia shrugged. "I don't really have anywhere else to go. And it’s not like I wanna go back to working the streets."

"You're taking this all really well." Harper said.

"It's not the weirdest political scandal I've ever heard." Mia sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "Not the creepiest one either, believe it or not."

Harper raised his brow. “You’re gonna have to tell me _that_ story someday.”

“If I make it that long…” Mia murmured, fiddling with a folded piece of paper in her hands. Harper stared at it for a moment, wanting nothing more than to grab it out of her hands and find out what exactly was bothering her. Mia cleared her throat, looking away.

"Thank you for rescuing me the other night," she said quietly. "I don't think I would've lived much longer if you hadn't came. Not many people would probably help a hooker."

"You don't need to thank me," Harper said. "And stop calling yourself that. You're not going back to that life anymore."

Mia drew her knees up to her chest and took a few shaky breaths. When she looked back up, Harper could see her eyes were wet with tears.

"The clients don't care," she said, voice cracking. "they think your self worth is low anyway, so they treat you like an object. A thing they can pay for and be done with. None of them care if you get hurt as long as they get to feel good."

Harper sat silently, unsure of what to do. "Mia, you're not going to go back there. You're safe now."

"I'm always going to be haunted by it, in more ways than one." She shakily picked up the paper she'd been holding and handed it to him.

Harper took it from her. He opened it and skimmed it, feeling his heart drop as he looked back at her.

"They ran a blood test last night when I came in. They just got the tests back." Mia curled in on herself and shook violently. "I should've know when I was getting sick all the time! God, I'm disgusting."

An alarm went off in Harper's head. "No!"

Mia looked up, eyes filled with tears. “What do you mean _‘no’_?! I am!”

"No, you’re not!." Harper snapped. "It's not your fault those sickos took advantage of you and didn't give a crap about your health."

"I’m HIV Positive, Harper! I don't even know _when_ I contracted it!" Mia shouted.

"That doesn't mean you're disgusting!" Harper insisted. "Look, it sucks that this happened to you, it really does. But, you've got to realize that it's not your fault."

Mia stayed silent for a moment, tears running down her cheeks. "Do you think Oliver's still gonna take me in?"

"Of course he is," Harper said softly. "We're not gonna leave you behind because of this, Mia."

Mia bit her lip, sniffling. "Can I ask for a favor?"

"What do you need?" Harper asked without hesitation.

"I-I don't know if you're, um, touchy-feely or whatever, but I really need a hug," she rubbed her eyes. "I-I mean, I understand if you don't feel comfortable with it, though."

Harper wordlessly stood up and moved to sit on the bed. He paused for a moment before wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Mia shook as sobs wracked her body. She raised her hands and gripped onto Harper's metallic arm.

Harper sighed softly and rested his cheek against her head. His heart went out for this girl he barely knew. They might not be in the same exact situation but that didn’t mean he didn’t know what it felt like to feel lost and alone in a world where his questions had yet to be answered fully.

He heard the door open and watched Oliver slowly walk in with Dinah in tow. Dinah sat at the edge of the bed, resting her hand on Mia's knee. Roy and Jade came in shortly after.

"Are you going to be okay?" Jade asked quietly.

“Yes...no...I don’t…” Mia shook her head. "Eventually, I guess. I just really want to leave and go home."

"The nurse is checking with the doctor to see if you can be discharged," Oliver said. "She should be here soon. Then we can go home"

Mia let out a tired sigh. "Awesome."

She tightened her grip on Harper's arm, unknowingly pushing a button. Suddenly, the palm of his hand opened up and blasted a hole through the wall. A shriek was heard outside. Roy quickly looked outside the room as everyone else stared in shock.

"I thought only you could operate it!" Mia cried.

"I thought I was!" Harper exclaimed.

"Who screamed?!" Dinah demanded.

"The nurse," Roy answered, poking his head back in. "She's alright though. Scared half to death and probably bruised, but alive at least. Nobody else got hurt."

"Well, if you weren’t getting discharged before, you will be now." Jade said. Lian clapped and squealed in delight.

 

_~~~"Curiosity is lying in wait for every secret." -Ralph Waldo Emerson~~~_

 

"Where is this kid going?" Miguel hissed as they followed Richie down yet another abandoned street.

"I have no clue." Hartley said.

They'd been following him for a little over an hour now with no luck. Richie just seemed to be wandering aimlessly through the streets.

"Maybe he _is_ just looking for Virgil." Miguel whispered. "Maybe he actually doesn't know anything."

Before Hartley could respond, he noticed Richie stop. He grabbed Miguel by the hand and pulled him around the corner. He after waiting a moment, he poked his head out. He saw Richie look around briefly before jogging into an abandoned gas station.

"Bingo." Hartley said.

He and Miguel slowly approached the gas station, falling into a crouch as Miguel looked through the window.

"See anything?"

"He's alone." Miguel answered, dropping back down. "He's got a weird spider thing with him, but that's it."

“A weird spider thing?” Hartley asked. A loud beeping came from inside. "Well, that can’t be good."

He slowly opened the door and crept in. No sooner had he entered did a ball shaped object hit him, releasing metal coils that wrapped around him.

"Oh God!" Hartley cried as he hit the ground. He let out a yelp of pain as his hit the ground head first, feeling a crunch inside his left ear.

Miguel sprinted in, watching as Richie made a break for the other door. He shot his hand out and made a wall in front of the door. Richie gasped and slid to a stop. He whirled around, another ball in his hand poised to be thrown.

"S-Stay back!" he said.

"Calm down, _niño_. We're not here to hurt you." Miguel said calmly.

Richie seemed to recognize him and lowered his arm. "You were the guys at Virgil's house. Y-You're metahumans?!"

"Yes, we are. We’re here to help you; we’re with the Justice League." Miguel said. "We just need to ask you some things about Virgil's kidnapping."

"Babe, I appreciate your introduction but I have a little bit of a situation down here." Hartley said slowly, trashing on the floor.

Richie hesitated for a moment before walking over and pushing the release. Hartley stood up with a groan. Miguel gave him a questioning look as Hartley pulled his now smashed hearing aid from his left ear. Miguel raised his hands and began to sign, only to be waved off by Hartley.

“Other one still works; I can still hear for the most part.” Hartley explained, pointing to his right ear.

"What do you guys need to know?" Richie asked slowly.

"We need to know if you saw who took Virgil." Miguel started.

"But, more importantly, we need to know if you or Virgil have any powers." Hartley finished.

Richie went pale. He backed up slightly.

"Richie, we _need_ to know. Virgil may've been a target because of it. You could be next." Miguel said.

"Are you going to tell our parents?" Richie asked. Miguel and Hartley shared a look.

"Not unless you want us to." Hartley promised.

"Okay." Richie breathed. "I'll tell you what you need to know."


End file.
